Our advice on treating a baby or child with a suspected head injury

The NICE guidelines do not state that a cold compress in the form of an ice pack should be applied to a head injury. 

According to the British Heart Foundation, in the 1960s more than 7 out of 10 heart attacks in the UK were fatal. Today at least 7 out of 10 people survive. Two of the most important factors influencing survival are the early use of effective CPR and early defibrillation. Defibrillation is achieved by the use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED).

The new First Aid guidelines state that in wound management it is no longer recognised that the elevation of a wound assists in stopping bleeding. 

The Millie’s Mark Trust does not currently have a preferred supplier for Paediatric First Aid training, which means Early Years settings are free to choose a provider of their choice, as there is no current course accreditation required. 

The Lullaby Trust provides emotional support for bereaved families, promotes expert advice on safer baby sleep and raises awareness of sudden infant death.

What is a high fever?

Did you know that a ‘high fever’ in children under five is considered to be a temperature of 38C (100.4F) or above?

Want to know what to put in a first aid kit for babies? Let us tell you!

The European Resuscitation Council have recently reviewed a number of first aid protocols and now suggest that there is a need in certain circumstances to include haemostatic dressings and tourniquets. 

Are you in the construction industry and wondering what your first aid requirements are for your workers and site?

***NEW LEGISLATION ALLOWS “SPARE” EMERGENCY ADRENALINE AUTO-INJECTORS IN SCHOOLS***

The latest EYFS document published in March 2017 (page 27) includes a link to guidance published by Public Health England specifically for schools and childcare settings on infection control for various conditions (including conjunctivitis) which sets out when and for how long children need to be excluded, when treatment/medication is required and where to get further advice. 

Did you know that you can send an SMS text message to the UK 999 service where it will be passed to the police, ambulance, fire rescue, or coastguard?

Did you know about ICE?

In case of emergency (ICE) is a program that enables first responders, such as paramedics, firefighters, and police officers, as well as hospital personnel, to contact the next of kin of the owner of a mobile phone to obtain important medical or support information (the phone must be unlocked and working). 

The latest information from the Sudden Adult Death Trust (SADS UK) is that their Big Shock Campaign to get more defibrillators in schools has been a huge success. SADS UK had a meeting with Policymakers at the Department of Education and as a consequence they have advised schools to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of their first aid equipment.

Citizen AID has launched a new public information video to show how ordinary people can deliver life-saving first aid to the injured members of the public around them following an explosion.

Emergency First Aid at Work manuals available for purchase

A5 First Aid Manual: £2.95 each

Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels cannot be controlled by the body. 

There are two types of diabetic episode:

How to treat an unconscious infant (under 1 Year)

Initially the students thought their trainer David Knowles was role-playing after he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Placing unconscious infants and children in the recovery position has been proven in studies to increase their recovery over more radical manoeuvres in an effort to restore consciousness.

Nine year old Nainika Tikoo from London tragically passed away on 22nd May after a severe anaphylactic reaction from dairy free pancakes with blackberries.

If you are witness to an acid attack, would you know what to do? Read our advice!

Shocking statistics from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has revealed how important it is to take accident prevention seriously.

HSE First Aid at Work Guidance Update!

HSE have recently amended their first aid at work guidance. We list the key changes for you and provide handy links to all the updated HSE documents.

Knowing the signs and treatment of a heart attack could easily mean the difference between life and death. A good percentage of patients may not make it to A&E because they ignored their symptoms. This article shares 15 symptoms - take a look, you might be surprised...

Did you know that the UK Resuscitation Council has developed and published evidence-based guidelines which set out the interventions and practices that are most likely to achieve successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest?

A boy of ten saved his brother's life using first-aid skills he learned on a school visit to a hospital just days before!

Please click on the following link to download our Paediatric Winter Newsletter 2018

Please click on the following link to download our Schools Newsletter.

Important documents published by HSE that we recommend for all Employers to read

Important documents published by various sources that we recommend for download.

Important documents published by various sources that we recommend for download.

Important document for schools regarding Automated External Defibrillator

Restart A Heart Day (16 October 2018) – FREE basic CPR training for schools in Kent, Surrey and Sussex!

Anyone can save a life, and that includes the average bystander who happens upon someone suffering a cardiac arrest in the middle of the high street. If that bystander has learnt CPR, the person’s chances of survival are doubled!

Anaphylaxis and adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) in Schools

In October last year a new legislation was passed which allows schools in the UK to keep spare adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs) for emergency use. 

Do you know when to call an ambulance?

The NHS ambulance service is being pushed to its limits with a low budget and very high demand, it is really important that everybody knows when the right to call an ambulance is. 

Treating a burn at home

I put my one-year-old down on the floor as I stepped in the house, like a moth to a lamp, she headed straight for the gurgling radiator and then, scream! 

Choking is a common accident, do you know what to do?

Last summer 10-month-old Benjamin Philip Masters died after a visit to the zoo in Alfriston went devastatingly wrong. Read more to find out about what happened...

 October Newsletter

Halloween can be a scary time for people with allergies so make sure that you're prepared with what to do, in an anaphylaxis emergency.

Bonfire Night Safety

Tonight is bonfire night, make sure that you and your friends/family are safe so that you can enjoy your evening.

 January Newsletter

2019 is now in full swing! See our January Newsletter to have access to all of our upcoming courses for the year.

February Newsletter

With valantines day upon us we have focused this months newsletter on the heart. Open up our newsletter for information on what to do if someone has a heart attack, information on congential heart defects and the latest news on our blog www.healthylittlehearts.com

HSE Latest Information

After several recent incidents in which two cases have resulted in death and the other, serious injury to multiple persons.  The HSE have reviewed and issued guidelines on the puchasing or hire of inflatables.

This week Surrey Council Council announced the possible closer of 31 children centres across Surrey.

Two of the ambulances trusts in the UK have now launched their own mobile app which allows first aiders to locate the nearest AED and give instruction on CPR called Save a Life. The app has the objective of improving survival rates for patients by using the first aiders GPS to track and defibrillator and provide the instructions needed to gain access.

We are pleased to launch two new venues for our Paediatric Public Courses.

This months newsletter focuses on Sepsis. 

We are also pleased to share news on our new venues, information sheets on stab wound first aid and mental health first aid. 

We are pleased to report Summer now has a date for her surgery. 

Her mum Michelle shares her experience with us. 

As we approach the Easter Holidays and yummy chocolate treats, we share the tradagy of 5 year old Sophie who choked to death on a mini egg.

As we focus this months news on the dangers of choking hazzards we wanted to honour this amazing and revolutionary Dr who invented the techique we still use to save lives today.

The Department of Education has recently adviced that CPR and Life Saving skills we become a compulsory subject on the school curriculum from 2020.

Over the month of March we conducting our own research project to see how schools will integrate this change. The results proved very interesting. Thank you to the schools who took time to complete our research.

We are please to interview one of our staff who joins us from the 999 control room.

She tells us about the rewards, difficulties and stress on the service, while sharing a few of her most memoriable 999 calls with us.

We are pleased to have arranged a 2 hour parent first aid course in our Guildford Training Rooms on the 11th June 2019 from 10 am till 12.00 noon.

After the success of 2019's first aid for parents course in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, we are pleased to announce we have arranged another 2 hour parent first aid course in Guildford on the 17th September 2020 from 10am till 12 noon, to help raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity. 

So today in the news I read an article written by a paramedic from America. They gave a great tip about labeling a car seat for medics, who arrive at scenes of road traffic collisions. When children cant communicate it can be hard to get the information they need. This articles prompted me to write my own list of life saving tips. 

Mental Health First Aider training - what is it all about?

The Health and Safety Executive recommends all workplaces appoint a Mental Health First Aider. Mental health illness is the 3rd most common illness at work after back pain and lung disease; yet the traditional workplace first aid course does not include any type of training on mental health.

When any incident happens in a remote environment, a first aider will encounter a very different experience to those in the city. In the city, telephones, ambulances and advance on medical help are only minutes away. In the mountain, just getting a telephone signal to call for help could require hours of difficult travel, not to mention the time it can take for a rescue party to reach a trailhead after the authorities have been contacted.

As we reflect upon the coroner report of the death of 13 year old in a school, we thought we would share some useful information and guidance on how to recognise breathing difficuties in babies and small children.

This week is Child Safety Week. An initiative by the Child Accident Prevention Trust, it is a week designed to highlight dangers to children in the home.

With media campaigns, charities and even our favourite TV programmes focusing on Sepsis, there is without doubt a much better understanding of how to reconginse Sepsis. Once in the ambulance control room it woud be my job to listen to a sick person and look for the signs which indicate someone is developing Sepsis, now a day though, callers tell me they think they have 'Sepsis' and I am able to act quickly on their behalf to get them to treatment they need.

A local Surrey mum recently shared with us the day her daughter stopped breathing in the busy Guildford traffic. Read about how other people react to this situation and what you can do if you are ever faced with an emergency as a bystander. 

We are pleased to be working in partnership with Tandridge Teaching Alliance offering a range of courses to the Alliance. 

Non food products such as arts and crafts will always present the hidden risk in nurseries and childcare settings. For example did you know tempura paint contains eggs?

As the weather heats up for the first time this year, already 3 people have died from the effects of jumping into cold water. Known as cold water shock is the initial part of your bodies reaction if you enter cold water when you already warm.

After two deaths caused by bouncy inflatables, here are the hidden dangers of the most loved fairground attractions.

Bouncy castles are one of the most popular attractions that always make an appearance at funfairs, birthdays and other special events. Although, they are always the ride that the kids want to go on; we dont want to ruined anyone's fun but according to the Health and Safety Executive there are dangers that every parent deserves to know.

We always teach the risk of hepatisis as a blood borne virus on all our courses. When you are dealing with wounds or giving CPR we talk about the importance of gloves and other protected equipment. This week is Hepatisis Awareness Day so we thought we would share what you need to know about this deadly disease.

This week the ambulance service was linked to an amazing new app, where anyone who is close to an incident or medical emergency and registered can attend the emergency. It is called GoodSam, the programme is desgined to get help on scene as quickly as possible, it also supports government set response target time and more importantly will help increase survival rates.

Friday the 13th September is World Sepsis Day. According the charity Global Sepsis Alliance 6-9 million people die from Sepsis in the world annually and it affects 30 million people. Here in the UK the work of The Sepsis Trust UK and other organistations have helped increased awareness of this life theatening condition.

An amazing piece of software has been created for an emergency situation, that EVERYONE needs to know about!

It finds out where you are using the App and a Map, thereby assisting the ambulance service can find you.

It's call "What3words" and we are delighted to give you the story behind it.

This week in the news The British Heart Foundation have been highlighting that every year more women die of heart attacks then men. Evidence suggests that most people associate heart attacks with men and consequently it can take longer to diagnose a heart attack in females and for women to get the correct treatment. 

As we approach that time of the year again without a doubt we see the number of  999 calls for firework and sparkler related injuries.  Most people will manage their firework displays with all the caution it needs, however sparklers on the other hand seem to be persceived as a 'safer' option for children (and adults) to get hands on with fireworks. 

With Just 6 more Fridays till Christmas and National Stress Awareness Week 

We wanted to show our support for National Stress Awareness Week and highlight stress in the workplace. 

1. What is the Health and Safety Executive definition of Stress in the workplace?

 "The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work."

As Christmas parties and family festivities are in full swing the ambulance service reports a 48% increase in the number of persons choking. 

Sickle Cell Disease SCD is a subject we teach on all our first aid courses. Some students will have heard of it and some have even dealt with a Sickle Cell emergency, with cold weather being a trigger for an emergency situation, known as a Crisis, we wanted to provide some up to date information on this life threatening disease. 

Over the Christmas period our local Ambulance Trust in Surrey and the South East Coast took the highest number of 999 calls in the history of the service. Although 1 in 5 calls could be a call to check the expected time of arrival of the ambulance, many were life threatening emergencies.

When working outdoors in a rural location it can easily take 30 minutes or more for the emergency services to arrive during an emergency situation, and with the brain starting to die after 3 minutes without oxygen, remote first aid training really can be the difference between life and death.

This year we celebrate our 20th Birthday, it has been 20 years since we were given a HSE licence to deliver regulated first aid courses. As part of a series on the history of first aid, our latest article looks at the history of the first aid box. 

Are you wondering about how the Coronavirus might affect your first aid course? Please keep reading our important information to find out more.....

Following the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the latest UK Government guidance, the HSE (Heath and Safety Executive) has announced a 3-month extension to the validity for all certificates coming up for renewal on or after 16^th March 2020.

Even with the current Coronavirus pandemic First Aid still remains a vital skill and it is extremely important to continue providing treatment to those who are in an emergency situation. However, many people have become less comfortable when it comes to helping others in an emergency, as they are concerned about the physical contact involved and the current risk of infection.

Kawasaki disease is named after Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki, a Japanese doctor who identified the condition in 1967. It is not known what causes Kawasaki disease but may be a combination of a virus and genes together.

Kawasaki disease causes a high fever, enlarged lymph glands and swollen blood vessels, and can also cause damage to the heart. Kawasaki disease affects more boys than girls and is usually found in children under five years of age. Because of this, the condition has become the leading cause of acquired heart disease (heart disease that develops after birth) in the UK.

Taking a first aid course online might seem like a good solution to meet your first aid training requirements during the Coronavirus pandemic. However, it is important to know that these types of courses do not meet the requirements of the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) and could cause you problems later.

In February 2000, we received a call that the Health and Safety Executive would soon be visiting. 20 years ago training providers who wanted to teach First Aid had to apply directly to the HSE for a license to practice. 

The Health and Safety Executive recommends all workplaces appoint a Mental Health First Aider

Mental health illness is the 3rd most common illness at work after back pain and lung disease; yet the traditional workplace first aid course does not include any type of training on mental health.

Mental Health First Aid Courses

This year has certainly been a challenge to our workplaces. With so much change and the fear of returning to the workplace after lockdown, it is not surprising there is an increase in the number of employees facing mental health concerns. 

With it being National Epilepsy Week on 18th to 24th May 2020, we thought it was important to share these Seizure First Aid steps from the Epilepsy Foundation, which show what to do in the event of a seizure.  

The Resuscitation Council UK have released an updated statement on COVID-19 in relation to CPR and resuscitation in first aid and community settings. The statement is for anyone who is performing CPR/defibrillation in an out-of-hospital setting.

Following the announcement in March 2020, that Health and Safety Executive (HSE) were providing a 3-month extension to the validity of (certain) first aid certificates due for renewal on or after 16th March 2020, they have since released an updated statement informing us that the final deadline for requalification for these certificates is 30th September 2020.

Our commitment to providing Social Distant First Aid Training at our Surrey First Aid Training venue
 
Training Room set up: 

• Delegates will be seated at least 2 metres apart at all times 

• Our class sizes will hold a maximum of 12 delegates per course 

• Our training room is large, well ventilated and has access to a large outside space

• Learning will take place outside, depending on weather (all delegates will need to ensure they are wearing/bring warm clothing)

Due to the increased risk of cross infection while performing CPR during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, Surrey First Aid Training are now offering First Aid supplies, such as Resuscitation Face Shields, to help reduce the risk of infection while giving first aid. 

Resuscitation Council UK recommend the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) while performing CPR, to protect the first aider and the casualty during CPR. 

Our CPR Face Shield Keyring comes in a quality fabric pouch and fits in a pocket or can attach to a belt or keys, with easy access during an emergency. 

To order this product, please call us on 01483 238268 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Covid-19 First Aid kits and PPE

Once upon a time I was able to leave the house with just my keys and purse, now a-days I find myself taking my hand gel, key ring face mask and gloves. Just like everything else in our lives first aid boxes have had to be adapted for the pandemic.........

The way we deal with a medical emergency has now changed, keeping ourselves and the people we treat safe has always been top of the emergency action plan, but we now have to consider the risk of covid-19 and how we will manage this risk when treating our patients. 

The requirements of the EYFS on Paediatric First Aid certification have now been changed and the EYFS: coronavirus disapplications guidance has been published explaining what the new changes mean.

Heat exhaustion is not usually very serious if you act immediately and cool the person down within 30 minutes of first recognising the signs. However, heat exhaustion can quickly turn into heatstroke and this becomes an emergency situation.

With the link between Kawasaki Disease and Covid-19 still under investigation we are pleased to share our printable poster for your school or workplace. 

If the first aid cover for your business is reduced because of COVID-19 or you can’t access the first aid training which you need, there are some things you can do to ensure that you still comply with the law.

It is drawing close to that time of year where the heating turns on, we eat warming winter soup and enjoy bonfires, sparklers and fireworkers. It is also the time where the number of calls to the 999 and 112 service for burns increases. We thought we would take a moment to remind ourselves what we should do in a medical emegergency involving a burn.

We appreciate how hard lockdown can be on employers and staff. Like all businesses we followed the government advice last Thursday, to adapt our services to help in the fight against Covid-19. We are pleased to say we are still able to offer a reduced training schedule in essential First Aid At Work training to meet your needs.

With Winter fast approaching and temperatures due to drop over the next few weeks, cold air can trigger the symptoms of Asthma. Smoke from bonfires and wood burners also increases during the winter months, causing irritation to a person’s airways, triggering the symptoms of Asthma.

It is important to be able to identify the signs and symptoms of Asthma in Winter, and to know how to treat an Asthma Attack. 

Rescue breaths temporarily excluded from first aid training during the period of high transmission rates

Resuscitation Council UK have announced that they are happy to support any first aid training providers who wish to exclude the practical teaching and assessment of rescue breaths in first aid training whilst Covid19 transmission rates remain high. 

The UK Resus Council were due to release new guidelines last October 2020, unfortuntely due to COVID-19 these guidelines have been delayed. 

NEW EYFS UPDATE STATES NO ONLINE TRAINING PLATFORMS -

The updates EYFS Framework has now specified how first aid training can be delivered. In-line with the Health and Safety Executive training guidelines the course must have at least 6 hours with a trainer. Face to face means trainers are physically present with their trainees and excludes Zoom or any other remote learning. This excludes the use of online platforms.

We are back open for training and this is how we will keep you safe using the latest disinfection methods

We are back open for training and this is how we will keep you safe using the latest disinfection methods

This March when we were preparing to return to our normal training session we were delighted to welcome the team at 

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